It’s that time of year when knitwear starts to become a part of your everyday wardrobe, when thoughts turn to nights sat cosied up in front of the TV and the kitchen becomes a place where comforting, warming food sits front and centre.
With that in mind we touched base with culinary superstar Craig Atchinson Head Chef of Hudson’s at The Grand Hotel in Yorkshire and asked him for 3 bespoke seasonal recipes just for The MALESTROM, that’ll help you through the Autumn months without compromising on flavour.
Dishes that will leave any dining guests marvelling at your culinary skills. With a deep focus on locally sourced ingredients and a keen interest in foraging, Craig is the epitome of the modern British Chef, so dust off your apron, sharpen those knives and get your cook on.
Leven Farm Duck, Beetroot, Chicory and Elderberry (Serves 4)
Ingredients
1x Leven Farm Duck breast
1x Leven Farm Duck leg
2x Cloves of garlic
1x Sprig of thyme
100g Table salt
500g Duck Fat
300g Fresh grated beetroot
500ml Beetroot juice
50g Redcurrant jelly
Red wine vinegar to taste
1litre Duck stock
50ml Red wine
50ml Red port
Pickled or fresh elderberries
Method
For The Duck:
Marinade the duck leg for 24 hours in the table salt, garlic and thyme. Then rinse well under cold water and pat dry. In a saucepan, add the duck fat with the leg and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook slowly for 3 hours until the meat pulls away from the bone. You can also cook the leg in a deep oven tray and bake on a low heat if you prefer.
Next, trim all of the sinew from the breast and lightly score the skin several times. Place the breast, skin side down, and cook gently on a medium heat until the fat begins to render out of the skin. Carry on cooking the breast like this for 15 minutes or until the skin becomes thin and golden brown. Transfer to a hot oven at 180°C for 7 minutes, allowing it to rest for a further 7 minutes before serving.
For The Beetroot Purée:
In a large saucepan, add the grated beetroot, beetroot juice and redcurrant jelly. Season with a little salt and bring to the boil. Cook the ingredients for 40 minutes or until the beetroot becomes tender. Once the beetroot is soft, turn up the heat and reduce the liquid until thick and syrup like. Transfer to a high powered blender and blitz until smooth, add a splash of red wine vinegar to taste then push through a fine sieve.
For The Sauce:
Place the red wine and port into a saucepan, allowing it to boil for one minute. After the minute, add the duck stock. Reduce by half or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. To finish, add a tablespoon of fresh or pickled elderberries.
To assemble:
Carve the duck breast into four equal pieces and arrange on one side of the plate. Next, gently shred the duck leg and bind with a touch of the sauce placing it on the opposite side of the plate to the breast. Transfer the beetroot purée into a squeezable bottle and dot it around as desired. Spoon the sauce over the duck to finish.
Serving suggestions:
In Hudson’s we also serve this dish with beetroot crisps and raw chicory to add a fresh bitterness, complementing the earthy beetroot. Elderberries can be found in abundance late summer to early autumn. We pickle in bulk at the end of season.
Heirloom tomato salad, avocado, spring onions, Almonds, smoked Rapeseed oil (Serves 4)
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado peeled and de-stoned
Juice from ½ lemon
25g crème fraiche
15g glucose
75ml boiling water
12x mixed heirloom tomatoes e.g. Caspian pink, green zebra cherry and golden jubilee
2 cloves of garlic
50ml rapeseed oil
70g flaked almond
A good drizzle Smoked rapeseed oil
Smoked Maldon sea salt
Method
For the Purée:
Blend avocado flesh with the crème fraiche to a smooth paste. In a pan add the water, lemon juice and glucose and warm until dissolved. Add the liquid to the smooth avocado paste then put into a piping bag or squeezy bottle until required.
For the Tomatoes:
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a heat proof tray. Finely chop the garlic and mix with the rapeseed oil. Slather the cherry tomatoes with the garlicy oil then semi dry in a low oven. With the rest of the tomatoes cut/slice them into shapes of your choice then drizzle with the smoked rapeseed oil and season with a pinch of smoked Maldon salt.
For the Almonds:
In a dry frying pan roast the almonds on a high heat tossing regularly until golden brown.
Serving suggestions:
There is no right or wrong way to present this dish. Arrange the tomatoes on a plate of your choice randomly (including the semi-dried cherries). Dot the avocado purée in the gaps. Sprinkle the toasted almonds on top and finish with more smoked rapeseed oil and smoked salt. We use a little micro green basil to garnish, but if you can’t get hold of this some fresh torn basil leaves are a good alternative.
Garlic and mustard grilled beef skewers, shiitake ketchup
Ingredients
4 x hanger steak 7oz
100g Dijon mustard
4 cloves of garlic
200g shiitake mushrooms sliced
50g butter
50g Castor Sugar
Sherry vinegar to taste
Salt
Method
For The Skewers:
Blend the Dijon mustard and garlic to a smooth paste. Slather the steaks with the paste and allow to marinade for at least 4 hours. Dice the steak into 10 equal pieces. Place five pieces of the marinated meat onto a wooden skewer and repeat the process until you have eight skewers. To finish cook on a BBQ or a flat top grill for 4-6 minutes depending on your preference of cooking, 4 minutes for rare, 5 for medium rare, and so on.
For the Shiitake ketchup:
Add the butter in a thick bottom sauce pan and put on a medium heat until the butter starts to foam. Place the sliced mushrooms into the pan and sweat for 8-10 minutes or until soft. At this stage add the sugar a stir until dissolved. Transfer the mix to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with sherry vinegar and salt to taste. Serve immediately.
If you want to sample some of Craig’s fantastic food without rolling up your own sleeves, book in for a meal at Hudsons in York HERE.